Job — Chapter 40
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1Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said,
2Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.
3Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
4Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
5Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
6Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
7Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
8Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?
9Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
10Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.
11Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.
12Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
13Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.
14Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.
15Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
16Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
17He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
18His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.
19He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.
20Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.
21He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.
22The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
23Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.
24He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.
1Moreover Jehovah answered Job, and said,
2Shall he that cavilleth contend with the Almighty? He that argueth with God, let him answer it.
3Then Job answered Jehovah, and said,
4Behold, I am of small account; What shall I answer thee? I lay my hand upon my mouth.
5Once have I spoken, and I will not answer; Yea, twice, but I will proceed no further.
6Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
7Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
8Wilt thou even annul my judgment? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be justified?
9Or hast thou an arm like God? And canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
10Deck thyself now with excellency and dignity; And array thyself with honor and majesty.
11Pour forth the overflowings of thine anger; And look upon every one that is proud, and abase him.
12Look on every one that is proud, [and] bring him low; And tread down the wicked where they stand.
13Hide them in the dust together; Bind their faces in the hidden [place].
14Then will I also confess of thee That thine own right hand can save thee.
15Behold now, behemoth, which I made as well as thee; He eateth grass as an ox.
16Lo now, his strength is in his loins, And his force is in the muscles of his belly.
17He moveth his tail like a cedar: The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18His bones are [as] tubes of brass; His limbs are like bars of iron.
19He is the chief of the ways of God: He [only] that made him giveth him his sword.
20Surely the mountains bring him forth food, Where all the beasts of the field do play.
21He lieth under the lotus-trees, In the covert of the reed, and the fen.
22The lotus-trees cover him with their shade; The willows of the brook compass him about.
23Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not; He is confident, though a Jordan swell even to his mouth.
24Shall any take him when he is on the watch, Or pierce through his nose with a snare?
1Then the Lord answered Job:
2“Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let the person who accuses God give him an answer!”
3Then Job answered the Lord:
4“Indeed, I am completely unworthy—how could I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth to silence myself.
5I have spoken once, but I cannot answer; twice, but I will say no more.”
6Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
7“Get ready for a difficult task like a man. I will question you, and you will inform me.
8Would you indeed annul my justice? Would you declare me guilty so that you might be right?
9Do you have an arm as powerful as God’s, and can you thunder with a voice like his?
10Adorn yourself, then, with majesty and excellency, and clothe yourself with glory and honor.
11Scatter abroad the abundance of your anger. Look at every proud man and bring him low.
12Look at every proud man and abase him; crush the wicked on the spot.
13Hide them in the dust together; imprison them in the grave.
14Then I myself will acknowledge to you that your own right hand can save you.
15“Look now at Behemoth, which I made as I made you; it eats grass like the ox.
16Look at its strength in its loins and its power in the muscles of its belly.
17It makes its tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of its thighs are tightly wound.
18Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like bars of iron.
19It ranks first among the works of God; the One who made it has furnished it with a sword.
20For the hills bring it food, where all the wild animals play.
21Under the lotus trees it lies, in the secrecy of the reeds and the marsh.
22The lotus trees conceal it in their shadow; the poplars by the stream conceal it.
23If the river rages, it is not disturbed; it is secure, though the Jordan should surge up to its mouth.
24Can anyone catch it by its eyes or pierce its nose with a snare?
1Moreover Yahweh answered Job,
2“Shall he who argues contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
3Then Job answered Yahweh,
4“Behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
5I have spoken once, and I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”
6Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind,
7“Now brace yourself like a man. I will question you, and you will answer me.
8Will you even annul my judgment? Will you condemn me, that you may be justified?
9Or do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like him?
10“Now deck yourself with excellency and dignity. Array yourself with honor and majesty.
11Pour out the fury of your anger. Look at everyone who is proud, and bring him low.
12Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him. Crush the wicked in their place.
13Hide them in the dust together. Bind their faces in the hidden place.
14Then I will also admit to you that your own right hand can save you.
15“See now, behemoth, which I made as well as you. He eats grass as an ox.
16Look now, his strength is in his thighs. His force is in the muscles of his belly.
17He moves his tail like a cedar. The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18His bones are like tubes of brass. His limbs are like bars of iron.
19He is the chief of the ways of God. He who made him gives him his sword.
20Surely the mountains produce food for him, where all the animals of the field play.
21He lies under the lotus trees, in the covert of the reed, and the marsh.
22The lotuses cover him with their shade. The willows of the brook surround him.
23Behold, if a river overflows, he doesn’t tremble. He is confident, though the Jordan swells even to his mouth.
24Shall any take him when he is on the watch, or pierce through his nose with a snare?
Summary
God's first speech concludes with Job's brief submission, then God's second speech begins — challenging Job to match divine power and describing Behemoth, the mighty beast that only its Maker can approach.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Jordan (v.23): River flowing from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea; Israel's boundary.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik notes the crucial distinction between God's two speeches: the first (38-39) demonstrates God's wisdom in creation; the second (40-41) demonstrates God's justice in governance. The challenge in v.8 is the theological center: Job's self-justification had become God-condemnation. You cannot declare yourself righteous and God unjust simultaneously without claiming to be greater than God. Guzik sees Behemoth as either a hippopotamus (with poetic embellishment) or a supernatural chaos creature — either way, the point is Job's powerlessness.
- Charles Spurgeon: "'I am vile' — Job has found the bottom. He who debated with three friends for thirty chapters now has nothing to say. One glimpse of God accomplishes what a thousand arguments could not. Job does not answer because he cannot. The questions have stripped him of presumption. He is not destroyed — he is silenced. And silence before God is the beginning of hearing God. 'Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?' — here is the knife edge. In defending yourself, Job, you have accused Me. Choose: either you are wrong, or I am. And if you are God enough to judge the proud and rule the wicked, save yourself. But you cannot. So trust the One who can."
Reflection
- 1. Self-justification and God-justification can conflict (v.8). There comes a point where insisting "I am right" implies "God is wrong." Job crossed this line in his speeches. This does not mean Job was guilty of the sins his friends accused — it means his RHETORIC exceeded his RIGHTS. You can be innocent and still go too far in how you assert it.
- 2. Silence is an appropriate response to God's presence (vv.4-5). Sometimes the godliest response is no response. Hand on mouth. Nothing to say. The man who talked for 30 chapters is now speechless — and this is growth, not defeat.
- 3. You cannot save yourself (v.14). If you cannot humble the proud, judge all the wicked, and govern the moral universe — then you need a Savior. This is God's implicit point: your inability to do MY job proves your need for ME. Self-salvation is impossible; divine salvation is necessary.
- 4. God's creatures are beyond your control (vv.15-24). Behemoth is magnificent, powerful, and completely beyond human mastery. If you cannot control one of God's creatures, how can you challenge the Creator? The power disparity between Job and Behemoth mirrors the power disparity between Job and God.